


Little Fox

by april_zephyr (April_Zephyr)



Series: Panic With A Side Of Tomatoes [1]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Anxiety, Anxiety Disorder, Best Friends, Childhood Friends, Confusion, Depression, Fainting, Friendship, Loss of Identity, Love Confessions, M/M, Panic Attacks, Weight Issues, loss of friendship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-08
Updated: 2016-01-08
Packaged: 2018-05-12 12:09:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,514
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5665597
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/April_Zephyr/pseuds/april_zephyr
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Naruto. Breathe with me.” Tsunade said softly, holding his face. He didn’t even realise that he was on the verge of another panic attack.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Little Fox

**Author's Note:**

> This is a prequel to _Panic With A Side Of Tomatoes_. It didn't quite turn out the way I wanted it to.

**Chapter One**

Naruto couldn’t remember how he had met Sasuke, the other male had been engraved into his life at a very young age and the blond couldn’t remember a life without him.  
“Naruto? Did you hear anything I said?” Fugaku questioned, smiling at the blond. The older male was like another father to him and he couldn’t help but smile back.

“Sorry. I zoned out for a moment.” Naruto answered sheepishly, “What did you say?”

“I was asking you what you were planning on doing in the future?” Fugaku smiled softly, which meant that the older male was going to bringing in a darker topic into the conversation.

“I haven’t decided yet.” Naruto sighed, “I know that I’m probably going to end up helping my father with his company, but I was also hoping of doing something else along with it.”

“Your father and I were talking recently. We’ve come to the conclusion that you and Sasuke might not be able to be with each other when you finish your education. You’ll both be busy with your own lives to be able to make as much time as you currently are.” Fugaku frowned, “It’s going to be quite different.”

“I understand.” Naruto responded, “So what do you think I should do?”

“You should ease away from him. Try to reduce the time you spend with him.” Fugaku continued, “Just to make it easier in the future.”

“Yeah. I can do that.” Naruto agreed, he really wasn’t sure how he was going to do that. Naruto was the type of guy that would do anything for Sasuke, he would even willingly kill someone as long as his friend remained happy, and with him.

“I really hope that this strengthens your friendship.” Fugaku said politely, “This is just something to be done in case worse comes to worse.”

“I know.” Naruto smiled sadly.

It wasn’t easy for Naruto to break from Sasuke. It felt like he was losing a part of himself as he tore the threads over time. The experience didn’t seem to have the same effect on the other male as it did on Naruto and the blond couldn’t help but feel a little lost at what was happening. Over the months, Naruto noticed that Sasuke was breaking out of his shell. He was a completely different person to what Naruto had known, he had become friends with a new group of people that the blond wasn’t even aware of… And he seemed happier. He was happier without him. That was what lead Naruto to have his first panic attack, he didn’t seem to understand why Sasuke seemed to better without him. The blond didn’t even know what was happening, he was with Shikamaru, Chōji and Kiba.  
“I can’t breathe.” Naruto wheezed out, clutching his chest. He started to panic as his heart started twisting painfully, “I think I’m having a heart attack.”

“What’s going on?” Kiba hissed, his voice seemed to far away. Like Naruto was underwater. Tears were streaming down his face as he continued to struggle to breathe.

“He’s having a panic attack.” Shikamaru answered, “Pass me that bag.”

Shikamaru seemed to know what was happening and handled the situation as best as he could. He managed to get Naruto to synchronise breathing with him, with the help of a paper bag.  
“Are you okay?” Shikamaru asked, Naruto had never seen this side to his friend. The lazy male seemed to be genuinely worried about him.

“Sorry. I don’t know what happened.” Naruto answered softly, he couldn’t face his friends. He felt embarrassed that they had witnessed him have such a reaction.

“Don’t worry about it.” Shikamaru smiled, “Do you want me to drive you home?”

“Sure.” Naruto answered, turning to look at his other friends, “Sorry about that.”

“Don’t worry about it.” Kiba grinned, “Probably stressed about the upcoming exams.”

“You can always talk to us.” Chōji offered, “We should go out once exams are over.”

“I’d like that.” Naruto smiled, “It’ll be my treat.”

“No. Don’t say that.” Kiba hissed, “We’re talking about four guys that are bad when it comes to food.”

“Well, it’ll be my dad’s treat then.” Naruto grinned.

The ride home was comfortable, Naruto was surprised that his friends didn’t make him feel alienated after his panic attack.  
“Are you sure that you’re okay?” Shikamaru asked, “You’ve been looking a lot paler than usual and you haven’t been eating as much.”

“Shika. I’m not okay, but I have a feeling I’m going to get better.” Naruto answered truthfully, making his friend frown slightly at the statement. Naruto knew that the least he could do was be honest.

“This is about Sasuke, isn’t it?” Shikamaru added quietly, Naruto winced visibly and he was sure that his friend caught it.

“He’s happy.” Naruto smiled sadly, “I guess I wasn’t that good of a friend after all.”

“You’re a great friend Naruto. It’s Sasuke’s loss if he chooses to lose you.” Shikamaru frowned, his statement did make Naruto feel slightly better.

When he arrived back at his house, his parents were sitting in the living room. Which was pretty strange, considering the fact that they never really sat there unless they wanted to have some sort of talk.  
“Hey my little fox, did you have a good time with your friends?” Kushina asked her son. Indicating that he should sit beside her. The blond always found it slightly endearing that his mother still stuck to calling him pet names and babied him as much as she could.

“It was fun.” Naruto smiled stiffly, he wasn’t sure if he should tell his parents that he had a panic attack.

“Really? I got an interesting call from Shikamaru’s father.” Minato smiled sadly, “Are you okay?”

“I’ll be okay.” Naruto answered softly, letting his mother run her fingers through his hair.

“I used to get panic attack a lot.” Kushina stated, “I understand how it feels.”

“So what were the two of you talking about?” Naruto questioned, changing the subject.

“We thought that you would like to have your own personal space.” Minato started, “It took quite a while to persuade your mother… But-“

“We got you a house!” Kushina gushed, cutting his father off completely. Naruto couldn’t help but laugh at the scene.

“Why did you get me a house?” Naruto asked curiously, he didn’t hate living with his parents and it just seemed strange.

“As a graduation gift. You’re going to want to do all this experimenting.” Kushina smiled, “But you have to call me at least once every week.”

“Your mother didn’t quite put it right.” Minato sighed, “We want you to have the space to grow and develop.”

“You’re kicking me out because you haven’t gotten laid!” Naruto accused his parents, making them both laugh loudly.

“Of course we are.” Kushina giggled, “We’re thinking of re-christening the house,”

“Not a surprise.” Naruto grinned, “You better not cry.”

“Of course she’s going to cry.” Minato snorted, earning a glare from his wife.

“My baby’s moving out.” Kushina frowned, Naruto could already tell that she was going to start tearing up.

“Mum, I’m going to be in the same city.” Naruto smiled, “It is the same city, right? Because I don’t want to be driving crazy hours to visit my parents.”

“Of course. But there is one thing.” Minato started, “You’re going to be living with Sasuke.”

“No.” Naruto uttered automatically, he could feel his stomach sink.

“He’s your best friend.” Minato frowned, “He’s already agreed to it.”

“No.” Naruto repeated flatly, “I was hoping on living by myself.”

“Most people would be happy with the option to live with their friends.” Kushina frowned, not understanding where her son was coming from.

“I’m not most people.” Naruto smiled harshly, “If you want me to develop and grow as a person, I need to live by myself. I don’t need you to have anyone watching me.”

“That’s not what we were trying to do.” Minato winced, “But I’ll discuss it with Fugaku and see what he thinks.”

“Cool. I’m gonna head to bed.” Naruto saluted. His parents wished him a good night, but the blond knew that that wouldn’t be the case. That night, he had his second panic attack. He didn’t like the idea of imposing on Sasuke like that. The male was doing so much better without him.

**The Next Day**

The blond didn’t sleep well. When he looked at his reflection in the mirror, he couldn’t help but wince. He had lost quite a lot of weight over the last few months and the bags under his eyes made him look like he hadn’t slept in a while.  
“Naruto.” Gaara greeted, “You look different.”

“I’ve been working on being leaner. The bulk was pretty off putting.” Naruto lied, making Gaara frown at him. Naruto was such a bad liar when it came to close friends.

“You looked better with the bulk.” Gaara commented. Naruto snorted, before shrugging his shoulders. That was the moment that Sasuke made his presence known.

“Gaara, can I talk to Naruto for a moment?” Sasuke asked, looking between the two males.

“Can it wait till the end of the day?” Naruto questioned, “We’re brainstorming project ideas.”

“Okay.” Sasuke frowned, leaving the two males to their own devices. It actually shocked Naruto that he was able to lie to Sasuke, the male was someone that he wouldn’t have even needed to lie to.

“What the hell is going on?” Gaara frowned, folding his arms over his chest.

“What makes you think anything is going on?” Naruto frowned, he was acting weird. He couldn’t help it. He didn’t feel the same as he used to.

“You’re avoiding Sasuke. You lied to him.” Gaara stated, “Drop the bullshit and tell me what the hell is going on.”

“I don’t know what’s going on.” Naruto answered seriously, “I don’t know.”

“Are you in love with him?” Gaara continued, the fact that the male was talking to him so flatly unnerved the blond.

“Gaara. I don’t know.” Naruto forced out, he was beginning to feel sick. He hadn’t eaten that morning. He felt a lightheadedness and before he knew it, everything turned black.

When he regained consciousness, his eyes barely even registered the other people in the room.  
“He’s awake.” A voice stated calmly.

“Where am I?” Naruto asked curiously, sitting up slowly.

“You’re in the nurse’s office.” Gaara supplied, “Tsunade’s on her way here.”

“Oh. What happened?” Naruto frowned, he was standing one minute and the next he was in the nurse’s office. He was slightly confused.

“You fainted. I think.” Gaara frowned, just as the male finished talking, Tsunade entered the room.

“Baa-chan.” Naruto smiled softly, greeting his Godmother. Tsunade’s face wavered slightly before she sat down by his bed.

“Naruto. Have you been eating well?” Tsunade asked him in a serious tone.

“I don’t know.” Naruto frowned, that seemed to be his answer for everything these days.

“I’ll take that as no.” Tsunade frowned, “I need you to start eating properly, make sure that you incorporate enough iron into your diet.”

“I will.” Naruto agreed, looking down at his hands, he felt guilty. No wonder Sasuke was okay with him leaving. He was a burden.

“Naruto. Breathe with me.” Tsunade said softly, holding his face. He didn’t even realise that he was on the verge of another panic attack.

“I- Wha- What’s going on?” Naruto whispered pathetically, grasping onto his Godmother’s hands. The tears seemed to just flow on their own.

“Shush.” Tsunade smiled sadly, before caressing his face.

“I’ll be okay.” Naruto insisted.

“You’ll be okay.” Tsunade agreed, “You need to rest. I’m going to take you home and I’ll explain everything to your parents.”

“Thank you.” Naruto breathed, “Gaara. I’m sorry.”

“You have nothing to be sorry about.” Gaara frowned, “Call me when you’re feeling better.”

“Sure.”

A Few Hours Later

Naruto didn’t even realise that he had forgotten that Sasuke had wanted to talk to him. That was until the male had somehow managed to end up in his bedroom while he was sleeping.  
“What are you doing here?” Naruto asked Sasuke cautiously. The male seemed to cast an unearthly glow and Naruto wasn’t sure if he was dreaming or not.

“What are you doing here?” Sasuke frowned, “We were supposed to talk on campus. Gaara said that you fainted.”

“It happens.” Naruto frowned, he couldn’t blame Gaara for telling Sasuke what had happened. The blond did agree to talk to his old friend earlier in the day.

“Have you been eating properly?” Sasuke questioned, “You get slightly anaemic when you forget to eat. That’s probably why you fainted.”

“I’ve been pretty stressed.” Naruto sighed, “Forgot to eat.”

“You need to start taking care of yourself. Fainting is serious.” Sasuke sighed, Naruto was sure he was dreaming. The dark haired male never seemed to show any kind of concern towards him usually.

“I know.” Naruto whispered, he couldn’t really bring his voice up to its usual octave, he felt weak.

“You can’t keep agreeing to things and not following through.” Sasuke scolded, “There have been a lot of people that are worried about you.”

“Sasuke. I know.” Naruto repeated, clutching onto his bed sheets. The male’s face distorted into something that Naruto could only describe as murderous.

“You don’t know.” Sasuke hissed, “If you knew, you wouldn’t be doing this to yourself.”

“It’s not like you care.” Naruto shot back, “Can you just tell me whatever the hell you want to tell me and then just leave? I can’t deal with this right now.”

“You know what. Forget it.” Sasuke sighed, the dark haired male wasn’t the type of person that gave up easily. So Naruto was definite that this was a dream.

“Yeah.” Naruto agreed, “I’d appreciate it if you forgot about everything. Forget me. Don’t act like you care. I’m tired of this pity party.”

“What are you talking about?” Sasuke growled, “You’re not making any sense.”

“I never do these days.” Naruto mumbled, he didn’t know when he started shaking. He was fine one minute the next he was silently crying. It felt like someone was clutching onto his heart and twisting it. The blond started clawing at his chest, hoping that it would help him breathe.

“Breathe.” Sasuke whispered, caressing his face, in the same way that his Godmother had earlier that day. He opened his eyes to gaze at the other male. The other male held his gaze before pressing his lips against his own.

It was calming. Kissing was good for not thinking and Naruto’s mind went completely blank. Every problem and anxiety he had seemed to have developed was pushed out for the moment. When their lips parted, Sasuke pressed a soft kiss against his lips one more time before moving away completely.  
“Why?” Naruto whispered, feeling like he was going to fall apart.

“Because I love you.” Sasuke whispered back.

That was the last time Naruto had seen Sasuke in seven years. And Naruto insisted that the whole thing was a dream.

**Fin.**

**Author's Note:**

> If you're wondering why Sasuke left, he left because he was hurting Naruto. Not intentionally. But sometimes you have to leave when you cause pain to the person you love.


End file.
